]]>President Barack Obama yesterday urged students to work hard and stay in school. But for many African American boys, staying in school has proven difficult. Despite concerted efforts to close it, Ohio’s high school graduation rate gap between black and white boys remains wide. WOSU reports on the ongoing complex problem.

Michael Williams totes a book bag as he walks with a friend toward West Broad Street. It’s a comfortable and breezy Friday afternoon, and Williams has the whole weekend ahead of him. But that’s not all he’s got ahead of him the West High School freshman has four years until graduation.

“Making hundred percents, and doing As. That’s all me. So, yeah.”

Williams is African American. If he had been in high school ten years ago, there would be a more than one in two chance he would not graduate. Back then, only 48 percent of black male Columbus City School students graduated. According to district figures, nearly 70 percent of black male students received diplomas last year.

A report released by The Schott Foundation for Public Education, this summer, reported a 37 percent gap between black and white male graduates in Ohio for the 2007-2008 school year. The Ohio Department of Education reports a lower gap – 26 percent – for that year. The state education department blames methodology for the different figures.

Regardless, the gap is sizable. It’s that way nationally, across the state and among some local districts. And it’s nothing new.

Ninth grader Michael Williams wants to join the army or navy. And when asked what the teen would say to someone who told him he has a lesser chance of graduating high school because of the color of his skin Williams emphatically unzips his back pack and pulls up a piece of paper with the word “excellent” written in the corner.

“I could just show them this because, I had this, I had did a, I had, you know, I did a hundred percent. So I gotta, you know, I just say forget them. And that’s it. You know, they’re haters,” Williams said.

Williams has a motivator, a mentor – his grandfather. He has a goal – the military. He’s on the right track.

Columbus City Schools Deputy Superintendent Keith Bell says it’s important to show students a target, like the one Williams has. For teenagers, four years is a long-time. Bell says it’s important educators engage students early and show them a possible finish line, otherwise it’s easy to lose them to the streets.

“When they can go and get that immediate gratification in a neighborhood that you may live in or you’ll get the engagement or you’ll get the love in a different way from people that may not necessarily have your best interest at heart, but you get it, and you’re not getting it in school then you have tendency to want to do or cling to those people who are giving you that gratification,” Bell said.

Statewide the gap is about 30 percent. Thirty percent fewer African American boys graduate than their white male classmates. But large urban areas seem to be faring better.

In Columbus City Schools the graduation gap is minimal – just one percent. But it fluctuates from year to year. It was as high as 12 percent ten years ago. Cincinnati City Schools reports a 16 percent gap, but it has been as high as 25 percent in recent years.

Cleveland City Schools actually reports last year more black male students graduated than white males – seven percent more.

Sam Gresham directs the Ohio Commission on African American Males. He’s not surprised at the continued gap. Gresham, who said black males are the most marginalized group of people in the country, said the issue has never been a priority.

“You can’t go to school hungry. You can’t go to school (without) materials. You can’t go to school from a dysfunctional family. You can’t come from a home where there’s no educational leadership and there are other priorities, and you expect that child to be successful in the educational environment? We’ve always blamed the teachers. We’ve always blamed the students. We have not looked at the combination of variables that create this very complex situation,” Gresham said.

Gresham said black boys need to be broken out of poverty and they need mentors.

“Until our leadership finds an urgency to do it, until we stop manipulating people of color for economic reasons, until we see that it’s important to change this situation it’s not going to change. And internally, until the African American community asserts itself, this situation is not going to change,” he said.

Columbus City Schools’ Keith Bell underscores the importance of community involvement. He said parents are children’s first teachers.

“Those first four or five years are so formative and so important that when the kids come to school if they’re behind then it makes it very difficult to hit a moving target when they come in behind,” Bell said.

Margaret Beale Spencer is a professor in the Comparative Human Development Department at the University of Chicago. She offers another reason, possibly a little more controversial, as to why black boys lag behind their white peers.

“I just think very often for black boys in our society in particular, we don’t view them as young humans perusing knowledge and a positive future. We stereotype instead, and view them as frightening, short black men as opposed to boys in pursuit of achievement,” Beale Spencer said.

Beale Spencer calls learning a risk-taking process. She said you have to be open to admitting what you don’t know. And Beale Spencer noted data indicates children who report negative teacher perception achieve at a lesser rate.

Back near West Broad Street, West High School senior Sagittarius Lamar walks with a group of friends. He has his sights on college. Probably Columbus State. Lamar wants to study accounting. What has been his approach to staying in school the last three years?

“Just staying focused. Keeping my eyes on my goal. And not worrying about what everybody else got to say or what everybody else doing, just doing me,” Lamar said.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2010/09/15/graduation-gap-remains-steady-at-30-percent/feed/0african,american,gap,graduationPresident Barack Obama yesterday urged students to work hard and stay in school. But for many African American boys, staying in school has proven difficult. Despite concerted efforts to close it, Ohio's high school graduation rate gap between black an...President Barack Obama yesterday urged students to work hard and stay in school. But for many African American boys, staying in school has proven difficult. Despite concerted efforts to close it, Ohio's high school graduation rate gap between black and white boys remains wide. WOSU reports on the ongoing complex problem.WOSU Newsno5:45Obama Needs to Lead All Americanshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2010/02/24/obama-needs-to-lead-all-americans/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2010/02/24/obama-needs-to-lead-all-americans/#commentsWed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000Andrew Grant-Thomashttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2010/02/24/obama-needs-to-lead-all-americans/A Quinnipiac University Poll finds that more than half of Ohioans disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president. President Obama came into office last year with high expectations. As WOSU Commentator Andrew Grant Thomas says, those expectations were especially high among African Americans.

]]>Over the last month a lot of people have offered assessments of Barack Obama’s first year as president. Some folks wonder what his presidency has meant for African Americans in particular. They’re at least three ways to think about it.

The first black president could serve as a role model for African Americans. His story is pretty inspiring stuff, to say the least. But the role model thing just doesn’t seem to be happening. In particular, poor and working-class young African Americans may like and admire the president, but his circumstances are just too far removed from theirs for him to be much of an example.

Another thought: maybe Obama is changing how people who aren’t black think about people who are black. Trouble is that it’s hard to see how Mr. Obama can break down negative stereotypes of blackness when, according to pollsters, most whites and Latinos say that Obama himself is biracial, not black.

Now that’s an interesting thing. Obama’s mother was white. So maybe those folks are simply saying it’s time to relegate the one-drop rule of blackness to the dust bin of history. Or maybe it’s just that everyone wants to claim him. Black folks say he’s people black, white folks say, hey, but he’s white too. Latinos say, hold on, you mean multi-racial, don’t you?

Or maybe for some people the concept of a black man as smart, articulate, masterful, and powerful as Obama is just a little hard to compute.

One blog commentator put it like this: “Obama is not black! … Oprah is black. Samuel Jackson is black. Woopy [sic] Goldberg is black. Mr. T is black. Ja-z is black …Obama is not black and should not be refered to as a black person.” Okay!

A third way that this president could make a difference to African Americans is through his policies. Unfortunately, those policies, while helpful, are falling short so far. Just take a look at the early returns from the stimulus package.

Only a small fraction of the $39 billion in federal contracts awarded in 2009 went to small businesses owned by women, Latinos or African Americans. And The Associated Press reported last year that there’s been much more government spending for places with the lowest unemployment rates than for places with the highest rates.

In other words, the people and communities who need the most help seem to be getting the least. African Americans included.

Listen, blacks have been in America 400 years; Obama has been president 400 days and the man inherited a big-time mess. His administration is still young and it’s tempting to cut him some slack.

We don’t have that luxury. To be the president of all America, as Mr. Obama must be, he must also be the president of all Americans.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2010/02/24/obama-needs-to-lead-all-americans/feed/0african,americans,Barack Obama,grantA Quinnipiac University Poll finds that more than half of Ohioans disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president. President Obama came into office last year with high expectations. As WOSU Commentator Andrew Grant Thomas says,A Quinnipiac University Poll finds that more than half of Ohioans disapprove of the way Barack Obama is handling his job as president. President Obama came into office last year with high expectations. As WOSU Commentator Andrew Grant Thomas says, those expectations were especially high among African Americans.WOSU Newsno2:55Overall Abortion Numbers Down; Increase Among Black Teens in Franklin Countyhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/12/03/overall-abortion-numbers-down-increase-among-black-teens-in-franklin-county/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/12/03/overall-abortion-numbers-down-increase-among-black-teens-in-franklin-county/#commentsWed, 03 Dec 2008 00:00:00 +0000Mandie Trimblehttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/12/03/overall-abortion-numbers-down-increase-among-black-teens-in-franklin-county/Ohio health officials report the number of abortions performed in Ohio has dropped to a 31 year low. About 30,860 were performed last year - the fewest since the State Department of Health starting keeping track in 1976.But while the overall number of abortions are down, one segment of the population - teenage African Americans - is seeing a rise in the number of abortions.

]]>Ohio health officials report the number of abortions performed in Ohio has dropped to a 31 year low. About 30,860 were performed last year – the fewest since the State Department of Health starting keeping track in 1976.But while the overall number of abortions are down, one segment of the population – teenage African Americans – is seeing a rise in the number of abortions.

Typically, in Franklin county, white women have more abortions than black women – simply because white women make up a greater percentage of the population. Here’s the startling math. In Franklin County teenage white females out number teenage black females by nearly three to one. But last year, African American teenagers had more abortions than white teens. This is the first time in ten years this has happened.

In Franklin County in 2007, while white teens saw a 19 percent decline in abortions, black teens saw a six-and-a-half percent increase.

The New York-based Guttmacher Institute tracks national and state abortion statistics. Guttmacher researcher Rachel Jones said abortions are declining in all racial and ethnic groups, but not as fast for African-Americans. Why? She’s not sure. But Jones suspects income may play a role in the disparity. And she said it’s more difficult for African American women to find health care. “We know that just for women of color, in general, even when they’re not necessarily poor, that gaining access to health care services can be a little more difficult. Even if they’re not poor they might not work in jobs that provide them with access to private health insurance, and if they’re not aware that there are others ways to access health care or reproductive health care then they might not be able to take advantages of those services,” she said. And Jones said it’s not just that African-Americans have more abortions than white women, she said they have more unintended pregnancies.

Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio CEO Lisa Perks said she could not pinpoint a specific reason for why the abortion rate was higher among Franklin County African-American teens. But Perks said women of color who seek abortions generally can not afford birth control, like The Pill. She said cultural or linguistic barriers can further frustrate access to birth control, and many of these women, even if they are given birth control, have a hard time using it as prescribed. All of these can lead to unintended pregnancies.

“If they are prescribed the pill and they don’t take it every day, you know their life stresses sometimes causes them to lack compliance with certain birth control methods. So unstable life situations, frequent life changes,” Perks said.

Day Gardner is founder of the National Black Pro-Life Union in Washington. Gardner credits the racial disparity to easy access to abortion clinics, not income level. In the Los Angeles Times Gardner said, “It doesn’t have as much to do with poverty as that the abortion facilities are there, ingrained in the neighborhoods.”

Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio has one facility that performs abortions. It’s located on East Main Street near James Road. Other abortion providers are located on East Broad Street and Indianola and Cleveland Avenues. All of these facilities are in or near neighborhoods with large African American populations.

But Planned Parenthood’s Lisa perks said Gardner’s easy access theory is wrong. Perks said it’s harder to get an abortion in Central Ohio. She points out that several Central Ohio abortion clinics have closed in recent years. And she said state laws, like the 24-hour waiting period, make having an abortion more difficult.

“I’m concerned that perhaps the number of abortions, while I want to make them also safe, legal and rare, are declining. I’m worried it’s an access issue. That, you know, there’s a lot of restrictions in Ohio and women are having trouble finding providers that offer the services and that they may be having trouble accessing the exact opposite of the woman you quoted,” Perks said.

Perks said the Planned Parenthood abortion facility site was chosen because of its central location, parking lot and its close proximity to the interstate. She said she thinks many providers often choose a site because of its visibility and access to a major expressway.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/12/03/overall-abortion-numbers-down-increase-among-black-teens-in-franklin-county/feed/0abortions,african,american,teensOhio health officials report the number of abortions performed in Ohio has dropped to a 31 year low. About 30,860 were performed last year - the fewest since the State Department of Health starting keeping track in 1976.Ohio health officials report the number of abortions performed in Ohio has dropped to a 31 year low. About 30,860 were performed last year - the fewest since the State Department of Health starting keeping track in 1976.But while the overall number of abortions are down, one segment of the population - teenage African Americans - is seeing a rise in the number of abortions.WOSU Newsno4:03Columbus’ African-American Community Reacts to Historic Electionhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/05/columbus-african-american-community-reacts-to-historic-election/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/05/columbus-african-american-community-reacts-to-historic-election/#commentsWed, 05 Nov 2008 00:00:00 +0000Mandie Trimblehttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/05/columbus-african-american-community-reacts-to-historic-election/Barack Obama's historic victory has African Americans around the nation celebrating. WOSU went to the King-Lincoln District, an historically black neighborhood, to gather the thoughts and emotions of Columbus's African-American community.

]]>Barack Obama’s historic victory has African Americans around the nation celebrating. WOSU went to the King-Lincoln District, an historically black neighborhood, to gather the thoughts and emotions of Columbus’s African-American community.

Signs supporting president-elect Barack Obama hang in the window of Amina’s Kitchen on Mount Vernon Avenue. Amina’s is a small restaurant, just a couple of tables, that specializes in home-cooking. On the menu lists cat fish, fried okra, collard greens and macaroni and cheese. It’s packed. People wait for call-in orders; others gather around one of the tables having lunch.

“We’ve earned the right to be where we are. We’ve earned it. I’ve earned to see this. Thank you, Lord. I’ve earned the right to see this,” Bivens said.

Bivens, whose business card reads “Evangelist by Testimony,” is overcome with emotion as she speaks about president-elect Barack Obama with a woman behind the counter.

“It’s not about color, it’s about character. It’s about a person’s character,” she said.

By this point Bivens’ cheeks are stained with tears.

“Do you think election is a sign that we’re changing, that the country is becoming better? It’s a sign that the country is tired of the old boys’ bull****,” Bivens said.

Just down from Amina’s Kitchen is Frank Cole’s Barber Shop. A man sits in a chair having his beard shaved, and there are people just sitting around chatting it up.

67-year-old Margaret Coles gives a young man a manicure. Coles said election night took her back to the days when she would take part in Martin Luther King’s civil rights rallies.

“I never thought I’d live long enough to see the day that a black man would be president with a black family with black children in the White House,” Coles said.

Mario Windush also works at the barber shop. He said he was ecstatic and proud when the news came down that Obama was elected president.

“We look forward to the challenges that await us, not only him as a president, but us as a people to back him,” Windush said.

Just around the corner from Amina’s and Frank Cole’s Barber Shop is Johnson’s Body Shop. Worker Dwayne Sullivan sits on a lawn chair taking a break. Thrilled to witness history, Sullivan hopes the country is turning around.

“They finally judging people on what they can do, not on the color of skin, but how they perform. I think they’re finally overseeing the color issue,” Sullivan said.

Kevin Richards comes to the front of the garage from working on a vehicle. He said Obama’s win is a change the country needs because he thinks it was headed in a bad direction. Richards said he’s waited a long time to see someone of color reach the nation’s highest office.

“We’re not going to back him as a black man, but back him because he’s a good man. And this is long over due. So we got the opportunity to put someone there that can perform and do the job. So, you know, it’s long over due,” Richards said.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/05/columbus-african-american-community-reacts-to-historic-election/feed/0african,american,Barack ObamaBarack Obama's historic victory has African Americans around the nation celebrating. WOSU went to the King-Lincoln District, an historically black neighborhood, to gather the thoughts and emotions of Columbus's African-American community.Barack Obama's historic victory has African Americans around the nation celebrating. WOSU went to the King-Lincoln District, an historically black neighborhood, to gather the thoughts and emotions of Columbus's African-American community.WOSU Newsno2:48Fears of Long Election Lines Persisthttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/03/fears-of-long-election-lines-persist/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/03/fears-of-long-election-lines-persist/#commentsMon, 03 Nov 2008 05:00:00 +0000Sam Hendrenhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/03/fears-of-long-election-lines-persist/5,000 poll workers will be on hand across Franklin County tomorrow to assist voters at the polls on Election Day. By tomorrow, more than 273,000 residents of the county will have voted early. Twice as many voting machines will be available this year. And voters have the option to use a paper ballot. Still some voters are skeptical about the possibility of an problem-free election.

]]>5,000 poll workers will be on hand across Franklin County tomorrow to assist voters at the polls on Election Day. By tomorrow, more than 273,000 residents of the county will have voted early. Twice as many voting machines will be available this year. And voters have the option to use a paper ballot. Still some voters are skeptical about the possibility of an problem-free election.

The African American Center on Mount Vernon is one of Franklin County’s 534 polling locations. Just across the street, Keith Lee and his neighbors reminisce about the long lines they encountered during the last presidential election.

“I was in line, when we were trying to get Kerry in office, I stood in line, for what, three and a half hours at Deshler Elementary,” Lee says. “[I'll]never forget it.”

Four years ago Election Day was rainy and at times frustrating in Columbus. Some precincts – especially in predominantly black neighborhoods -had large turnouts but not enough voting machines. It’s estimated that as many as 15,000 people in the city may have given up trying to vote and walked away.

Things have changed in Ohio since the Bush-Kerry contest of 2004. The state now permits no-fault absentee voting otherwise known as early voting. And more than a quarter of registered Franklin County voters have already taken advantage of the process.

More than 4,000 voting machines will be in use on Election Day; twice as many as four years ago. And according to Ben Piscitelli of the Franklin County Board of Elections, anyone who wants to vote using a paper ballot at the polls may do so.

We’ve printed 400,000 paper ballots for the county; enough for nearly half of the voters registered in the county so people can use that optional paper ballot if they don’t want to wait for a machine to open or if they just prefer to vote on paper.”

More machines, paper ballots, early voting, don’t necessarily translate into voter confidence. Sonja Alexander says long lines should not deter voters from casting their ballots.

“They turn around, they get discouraged,” Alexander says. “But I say don’t turn around, don’t get discouraged it’s going to be all for the betterment, take a book, pack a lunch, whatever it takes, but vote, vote, vote!”

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/11/03/fears-of-long-election-lines-persist/feed/0african,alexander,american,center,county,Franklin County,keith,lee,piscitelli,sonja5,000 poll workers will be on hand across Franklin County tomorrow to assist voters at the polls on Election Day. By tomorrow, more than 273,000 residents of the county will have voted early. Twice as many voting machines will be available this year.5,000 poll workers will be on hand across Franklin County tomorrow to assist voters at the polls on Election Day. By tomorrow, more than 273,000 residents of the county will have voted early. Twice as many voting machines will be available this year. And voters have the option to use a paper ballot. Still some voters are skeptical about the possibility of an problem-free election.WOSU Newsno1:58Buckeye Poll: African American Women Voters Decide Presidential Pickshttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/03/19/buckeye-poll-african-american-women-voters-decide-presidential-picks/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/03/19/buckeye-poll-african-american-women-voters-decide-presidential-picks/#commentsWed, 19 Mar 2008 00:00:00 +0000Vivian Goodmanhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/03/19/buckeye-poll-african-american-women-voters-decide-presidential-picks/Women voters are getting more attention in this presidential season than ever before. In Ohio 59 percent of the electorate was female and the overwhelming majority voted for Hilary Clinton. For African American Ohio women the choice between Clinton and Barack Obama may have been more difficult.

]]>Women voters are getting more attention in this presidential season than ever before. In Ohio 59 percent of the electorate was female and the overwhelming majority voted for Hilary Clinton. For African American Ohio women , the choice between Clinton and Barack Obama may have been more difficult.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2008/03/19/buckeye-poll-african-american-women-voters-decide-presidential-picks/feed/0african,american,buckeye,poll,womenWomen voters are getting more attention in this presidential season than ever before. In Ohio 59 percent of the electorate was female and the overwhelming majority voted for Hilary Clinton. For African American Ohio women the choice between Clinton and...Women voters are getting more attention in this presidential season than ever before. In Ohio 59 percent of the electorate was female and the overwhelming majority voted for Hilary Clinton. For African American Ohio women the choice between Clinton and Barack Obama may have been more difficult.WOSU Newsno4:06Low African American graduation rates are problemhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/05/30/low-african-american-graduation-rates-are-problem/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/05/30/low-african-american-graduation-rates-are-problem/#commentsWed, 30 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000Karen Kaslerhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/05/30/low-african-american-graduation-rates-are-problem/Two thousand education experts, community leaders and public officials got together Wednesday in Columbus for a day long conference on the low high school graduation rates for African American males. They agree there's a problem, but they disagree on how to fix it.

]]>Two thousand education experts, community leaders and public officials got together Wednesday in Columbus for a day long conference on the low high school graduation rates for African American males. They agree there’s a problem, but they disagree on how to fix it.

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/05/30/low-african-american-graduation-rates-are-problem/feed/0Ohio Leaders Want To Boost Graduation Rates Of African-American Males.http://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/05/29/ohio-leaders-want-to-boost-graduation-rates-of-african-american-males/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/05/29/ohio-leaders-want-to-boost-graduation-rates-of-african-american-males/#commentsTue, 29 May 2007 00:00:00 +0000Ohio Public Radiohttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2007/05/29/ohio-leaders-want-to-boost-graduation-rates-of-african-american-males/The public school graduation rate last year was 86%, that number has climbed steadily during the last eight years. But many of the 19,000 students who drop out every year are low-income African American males, whose graduation rates are far below those of young males of other races.

]]>The public school graduation rate last year was 86% that number has climbed steadily during the last eight years. But many of the 19,000 students who drop out every year are low-income African American males, whose graduation rates are far below those of young males of other races. Former Cleveland Senator C-J Prentiss leads an office in the Ohio Department of Education dealing with issues of concern for African American students, especially in urban areas. “Some of our schools, 22% graduation rate. You got that. I mean its unbelievable. That’s in one city. In another city, 33% graduation rate. We’re talking about 60% of the kids not graduating or 70% of the kids not graduating in these particular clusters.” Says Prentiss.

Prentiss will join Governor Strickland and thousands of other leaders on Wednesday at a statewide conference on increasing the graduation rate of African American males. The conference includes workshops on learning how culture affects young black men, overcoming the seduction of gangs, and bringing in African American men as teachers and role models. “What happens on the route home, in the home, on Saturdays, on Sundays, after school, where are the activities? Where are the mentors? And so the conference is on shared responsibility.” Adds Prentiss.

People in Lawrence Co., Ohio know a little bit more about a few of their ancestors - thanks to a group of students from Ohio University Southern. What started out as a folknography project two years ago has ended with the discovery of an African American cemetery from the early 1900s.

People in Lawrence County, Ohio know a little bit more about a few of their ancestors – thanks to a group of students from Ohio University Southern. What started out as a folknography project two years ago has ended with the discovery of an African American cemetery from the early 1900s.

It’s hard to believe these hills and hollows in Lawrence County – within sight of the Ohio River – were once heavily industrialized. But according to David Lucas a professor at Ohio University Southern this area was bustling just after the turn of the 20th Century with pig iron production and mining.

“They needed workers,” says Lucas. “And so they went to Cincinnati or the Cincinnati area and recruited some African Americans to come up here and work in the iron industry, drive the teams – they still used wagons in those days and they needed teamsters – they needed people to work in the cold mines. They needed people to work in the smelting operations. And they recruited these folk and brought them in here and put them in a little hollow which is just off this ridge down here. It’s a quaint little place where they set up this sort of mining camp and these families lived there.

The rocky creek still flows through the hollow but evidence of the camp is long gone, as are memories of the 16 to 18 black families who lived here. Some of the people were claimed quickly by the great pandemic.

“In 1917 and 1918 the Spanish Flu swept through southern Ohio and killed thousands of people,” Lucas says. “But it also swept through this little hollow down here and these folk died. They brought them up here on the ridge and they buried them here in the cold, rainy, snowy ground of what we now call Sacred Hill Cemetery.”

It was a hasty but dignified burial, according to Lucas. A few roughhewn headstones were erected. Years later the land nearby was strip-mined several times, then it became a landfill. When folknography students heard their may be a forgotten cemetery in the area, they began to ask questions. Jennifer Dadosky was among a small army who went door-to-door.

“If they couldn’t answer our questions they could always say, Mrs. So-In-So down the street – the white house the green shutters – go knock on her door.’ And we would go do that. No answer? We’d go to the house next to it.

Slowly, family names from the hollow began to emerge – Gordon, Mills, Kelly. Often, according to student Michelle Wellman, all a descendent could provide was encouragement.

“Many people would say ‘No, I don’t know anything.’ Mr. Gordon said ‘I’m sure I have a relative that’s buried up there but I know nothing about it.’ But we appreciate what you’re doing, it’s wonderful.’”

They found a map with the boundaries of a cemetery scribbled in. Ground penetrating radar was brought to the ridge and 12 unmarked graves were pinpointed.

“They weren’t buried in boxes, they didn’t have caskets,” Lucas says. “But they were buried, according to these sonographs we have, with their hands folded, face up, laid out with special care, wrapped in some sort of garments. It was a very sobering moment.”

Still, students had no clue about the identities of the people in the graves except one according to Michelle Wellman.

“There was a lady who came in, she had a family Bible with a child’s name in it. And she said, I think this is my aunt. I think she’s buried there.’ She went back and did a little more research, and she said, ‘Yes, she was 7 years old, she’s buried there.’ In the family Bible it says “She died along the way.” That’s all it says.”

Now thanks to Ohio University students and a local monument company Mary Lou Mills has a more lasting headstone. Those around her – still unidentified – are marked with stones that say “youth” or “adult grave.” David Lucas says he’s proud that his students gave more of themselves than they had to. Melissa Wellman says she and the others were compelled to find the 12 lost souls on a Lawrence County ridge.

“It was almost like a mystery that needed to be solved. These people were lost to society except for the few people who remembered them. And we just felt that it was time to honor them and it just sparked something and I just wanted to work on this – wanted to give these people recognition.

It’s ironic in a way that a group of people who slept in anonymity for so many years with strip mining and landfilling going on just as few yards away now should be found in such an idyllic setting.

“They’re high here on this ridge overlooking some of the most beautiful real estate in Lawrence County and the Ohio River which in itself is very beautiful,” says Lucas. “And as you can tell it’s one of the most peaceful places that I’ve ever been to in the world. And maybe this is what God had intended all along.”

]]>http://wosu.org/2012/news/2006/09/11/ohio-university-students-find-lost-african-american-cemetery/feed/0OSU tries to recruit more African American males to campushttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2006/01/16/osu-tries-to-recruit-more-african-american-males-to-campus/
http://wosu.org/2012/news/2006/01/16/osu-tries-to-recruit-more-african-american-males-to-campus/#commentsMon, 16 Jan 2006 00:00:00 +0000Mike Thompsonhttp://wosu.org/2012/news/2006/01/16/osu-tries-to-recruit-more-african-american-males-to-campus/January is just about the midseason point in the college application process. Students are filing their applications, applying for financial aid and making decisions. Ohio State University is finding that not very many African American students, especially African American men, are enrolling at OSU. Officials say they are trying to change that.

]]>January is just about the midseason point in the college application process. Students are filing their applications, applying for financial aid and making decisions.

Ohio State University is finding that not very many African American students, especially African American men, are enrolling at OSU. Officials say they are trying to change that.

The numbers are startling – in the fall of 2005, nearly 59-hundred freshman enrolled at OSU. 418 were African American, off those only 156 were black men. On campus, African American women outnumber African American men 3 to 1.

One of those African- American students is Dezmon Landers – a third year financial management major. Often he is the only African- American in his classes.

Actually it wets my appetite when I walk into a class and I’m the only African American in there. I look at it as a challenge to disprove all the stereo types, Landers said.

In an effort to boost those numbers, OSU has established the African American male resource center. The center tries to recruit African American men. It’s running spots on radio stations with young black audiences.

The center also offers academic support for students. and studies the reasons why black men are not opting for college.

The program’s coordinator, Eric troy partly blames a culture that glorifies sports and entertainers. For dissuading black men from attending college.

The see instamatic in sports and entertainment a lot of times so if I can go to the NBA with possibly not going to college or if I want to go into the entertainment industry I can rap, shoot videos, whatever the case may be, Troy said.

Troy says sports and entertainment is less of a draw for African American women.

Troy also faults a lack of role models to inspire African American men to pursue college.

They may not have an African American professor or teacher or principal.

OSU student Dezmon Landers blames a culture among black youth that looks down upon education.

You really feel ostracized , Landers said.

Not everyone agrees that a low number of African American college students is a societal problem. Author Boyce Watkins has written a college guide for minority students. He received his PhD at Ohio State and is now a finance professor at Syracuse University. He says dreams of sports and entertainment are not at fault. He says OSU should look inside for answers.

You claim that you cannot find black students for your university but you can find the next great black athlete to save your athletic program.

Watkins agrees that a lack of role models and African American teachers in the lower grades is a big factor but he says OSU and other colleges need to make African Americans feel more welcome.

There’s the notion that we are invited on campus to play sports but we not invited to be administrators.

OSU’s Eric Troy agrees that college administrators need to do a better job But troy says college administrators cannot do it alone… Parents as well as elementary and high school educators and parents to encourage college for African American boys.

Central State University, a historically black university in Wilberforce has not had the same problem OSU has. It’s male and female black student population is about even. Central state’s assistant director of admissions Karen Hunt credits the school’s tradition…

It’s probably because many of their parents have attended one. Or they’ve heard about the university and wanted to attend, usually it’s one of those commitments that prompts them to attend, Hunt said.

At OSU’s African American male resource center, troy says they are making headway. Enrollment numbers are growing, as are retention rates. But he says it will take time for OSU and other schools to see the numbers they are striving for.